This week, my synagogue will honor Debbie Almontaser, a Muslim woman, and celebrate her victory before the EEOC.
The very brief summary of Ms. Almontaser’s case is as follows. She was the founding principal of the Khalil Gibran International Academy, a public school with “a special emphasis on Arabic language on culture.”
Monthly Archive for April, 2010
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EEOC Victory for Muslim Interfaith Advocate Who Founded Arab Language Public School
by russellpearce
by Surely it is not a coincidence that Justice Stevens announced his retirement after 34 years on the Supreme Court just one hour after Bart Stupak announced his retirement from the House of Representatives after 18 years of service there.
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by Here’s a link to a book chapter I’ve done, for a forthcoming volume (edited by John Witte and Frank Alexander) on “Christianity and Human Rights.”
What is the “right to freedom of religion,” a right which our leading human-rights instruments commit us to protecting, and what are the legal and other mechanisms that will sustain and vindicate our commitment? Some mechanisms might be better (or less well) designed for the purpose and so might work better (or less well) than others; some actors and authorities might be more (or less) reliable and effective protectors than others. In other words, the project of protecting human rights – including the right to religious freedom – involves not only reflecting on human goods and goals, but also wrestling with questions about institutional design and competence.
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by NPR’s Nina Totenberg explores whether it’s a legitimate concern that, with Justice Stevens’ (now certain) retirement, there may be no Protestants on the Supreme Court. LRE’s own Rick Garnett weighs in with this observation:
“Garnett contends that the real dividing line in the country is not between Catholic and Protestant. Instead, he says, “it’s more the kind of religious versus secular divide. “So for those Protestants in America for whom their faith is important, they can look to the court and say, ‘Well, we do see representation on the court of people like us — people who take their religious faith and religious traditions seriously. True, they’re Roman Catholics … not Baptists like us, but they take their religious traditions seriously.’”
It’s probably controversial to suggest even that the secular-religious divide matters, but is Rick correct to suggest that finer distinctions beyond secular-religious are not (or should not be) of concern when it comes to Supreme Court appointments?
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by As we approach Holocaust Remembrance Days, I wanted to mention two upcoming law-related events that may be of particular interest to our readers.
First, for those in the Boca Raton area, on Friday morning Professor John Barrett of St. John’s Law School, who is a leading scholar on the life and work of Robert Jackson, will be lecturing on Jackson’s work as chief prosecutor at Nuremberg. The title of the event is “Lawyer to Lawyer–the Meaning of Nuremberg.”
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by The religious right purports to be deeply concerned about the high rates of abortion in the United States, but its most stalwart proponents have succeeded in implementing and maintaining policies that keep the abortion rate high.
I draw this lesson from discussions in Naomi Cahn and June Carbone’s wonderful new book, Red Families v. Blue Families: Legal Polarization and the Creation of Culture. The book is primarily a study of the way in which different family forms have emerged in different parts of the country, and the political ramifications of the polarized value systems that result. But the data it contains reveals a deep incoherence in the American government’s family planning policies.
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by CNN reported last week that “more than 100 prominent Christians” had covenanted to contribute to a more civil national discourse. The story had a can-you-believe-it? flavor, noting that the signatories ranged “from evangelical minister Jim Wallis on the political left” to “Chuck Colson on the right.” But not to worry: The covenant won’t apply to Glenn Beck because, as Brother Colson helpfully explained, “we’re talking about the conversation in the family of believers,” while “Glenn Beck is a Mormon.” The report closes by respectfully noting that the Covenant “is the latest in a series of faith-based efforts to soften the public discourse.” Well, good luck with that.
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by Here’s an interesting letter that appeared in the Telegraph (London) last week, signed by six prominent Anglican bishops, including the former Archbishop of Canterbury. The British National Health Service has decided that a nurse, Ms. Shirley Chaplin, may no longer see patients. Why? Ms. Chaplin refuses to remove a cross that she wears around her neck. The letter points out that the NHS allows adherents of other religions to wear religious insignia while tending patients and argues that the NHS’ decision is an example of a pattern of discrimination against the “Christian community” in British society (see, for example, a similar controversy at British Airways). The bishops want to make this alleged discrimination an issue in the upcoming general election.
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